Wang Qiang didn't encounter any danger, but he spent the whole day wandering in the mountains and forests without finding any prey. He did encounter quite a few birds, but the problem was that his archery skills were poor, and he failed to shoot down a single bird after several attempts.
The three animal traps he set in the mountains also yielded no results.
This can't go on.
Wasting an entire day and expending so much energy and strength, yet not catching a single prey.
If we go back empty-handed, won't my sister and I go hungry tonight?
Wang Qiang thought to himself, and gritted his teeth to continue to squat and guard next to a trap he had set.
But at that moment, a muffled explosion suddenly came from the direction of the refugee settlement.
Wang Qiang's expression changed drastically. He quickly stood up and looked towards the direction of the refugee settlement, where he saw the crimson flames.
Could something have happened in the refugee settlement?
Damn it, my sister's still there!
Wang Qiang could no longer care about hunting. He hurriedly put away the animal traps, slung his bow and arrows over his shoulder, and ran towards the direction of the refugee settlement.
Something did happen in the area where refugees lived.
All the refugees were driven out of their tents or thatched huts by mercenaries dressed in full armor.
They were driven like livestock to an open space in front of the settlement, with a broken rock in front of them.
This enormous yet fragmented rock was shattered by the mercenary leader with a single martial arts move!
Most importantly, there were six or seven bodies at the scene.
These corpses belonged to the displaced people living in this settlement.
When the mercenaries first arrived, the group fought back, only to be mercilessly killed by the mercenaries.
Although they were very courageous, they were utterly helpless against martial artists who possessed martial arts skills and even wielded spiritual weapons!
Their act of resistance was undoubtedly like throwing an egg against a rock.
"Look, open your eyes wide and see clearly, this is the consequence of resistance! From now on, if anyone dares to resist again, I will kill their entire family!"
The mercenary leader, mounted on his horse, coldly surveyed the more than three hundred refugees gathered there.
The refugees were all pale-faced, and some of the more timid ones were so frightened that they knelt on the ground, trembling.
"Boss, everyone's here." A mercenary approached the mercenary leader and said.
"Are you sure they've all arrived here? Not a single one is missing?" the mercenary leader asked.
“Not a single one should be missing,” the mercenary said.
What does "should" mean?
The mercenary leader snorted coldly and shouted at the refugees present, "Look around and see if anyone is missing! Anyone who dares to harbor someone else, I'll kill them all if I find out!"
Upon hearing the mercenary leader's words, the refugees all looked around in fear.
Wang Qian, standing in the crowd, felt her heart leap into her throat.
She knew that it wouldn't be long before her brother was exposed by the refugees present.
Wang Qian didn't blame the refugees, but she felt a deep sense of sorrow, since those refugees had exposed their younger brothers in order to survive.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before a refugee said, "One person is missing! Wang Qiang is missing! That kid Wang Qiang went out early this morning and hasn't come back yet!"
"Very good, very good."
The mercenary leader sneered, then demanded, "Who are Wang Qiang's family members? Step forward!"
So all the refugees looked at Wang Qian.
The refugees who had been standing around Wang Qian even retreated, as if Wang Qian had been infected with some kind of plague, making them want to avoid her at all costs.
"Are you Wang Qiang's family member? What's your name?"
The mercenary leader rode up to Wang Qian on a tall horse.
Wang Qian lowered her head and said, "My name is Wang Qian, sir. I did not harbor my brother, nor did he hide on purpose. He went hunting deep in the Death Mountains and has not returned yet."
"Raise your head and speak!" the mercenary leader commanded bluntly.
Wang Qian then looked up at the mercenary leader.
Wang Qian's face was covered in streaks of black ash, which was wood ash.
Wang Qian was fairly good-looking; although she couldn't be described as exceptionally beautiful, she was already quite attractive compared to these refugees.
That's why Wang Qian was worried that she would be targeted by these mercenaries.
She knew that beautiful women would only fare worse in the hands of these mercenaries, and that even death would be a luxury.
That's why Wang Qian deliberately smeared wood ash on her face to make herself look disheveled.
But how could her little tricks fool this well-informed mercenary leader?
"You are very smart, but you are using your intelligence in the wrong places."
As soon as the mercenary leader finished speaking, he suddenly raised his riding whip and lashed it hard across Wang Qian's face.
Wang Qian's face was instantly torn open, and she let out a scream and fell to the ground in a sorry state, but the mercenary leader did not stop.
He whipped Wang Qian's face again and again, laughing loudly, "Since you like makeup so much, then I'll fix your makeup on your face forever!"
Wang Qian was in great pain, but she felt no regret.
Because she knew that even without makeup, her fate wouldn't be much better than it was now.
In the eyes of these mercenaries, they were not even as good as pigs or dogs, and this kind of humiliation would come upon each of them sooner or later!
But at that moment, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly rang out.
When Wang Qian opened her eyes, a look of intense shock appeared on her face.
She couldn't even believe her eyes.
Crimson streaks of light appeared in the sky, flashing past at extremely fast speeds, yet as dense as rain!
The next moment, the sound of explosions continued to ring out!
"Enemy attack!"
The mercenary leader let out a pig-like wail, for he was wounded.
A charred mark appeared on his shoulder, and cracks appeared in his bright armor, from which bright red blood gushed.
However, the mercenary leader's shouts had no effect whatsoever.
The dense rain of fire enveloped all the mercenaries from the moment it appeared, but conveniently avoided every refugee present.
Moreover, the dense rain of fire seemed endless, without any end!
Mercenaries fell one after another, and their warhorses did not escape the same fate, neighing and collapsing to the ground in succession.
In just a few blinks of an eye, most of the mercenaries had been killed or wounded!
Although the refugees at the scene were terrified, they dared not move.
The look of surprise on Wang Qian's face deepened.
Because she had already seen the source of those flames.
A small legion of about three hundred men emerged from the depths of the Death Mountains. They were all dressed in strange clothing and carried odd weapons.
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